Antenna apparatus for use in automobiles

Abstract

An automobile antenna apparatus according to the present invention includes an antenna control section for electronically and variably controlling (beam-steering or beam-scanning) an emitting-beam pattern of each of antennas mounted on an automobile, based on high-precision positional information of the automobile, to optimize a function of using an electric wave for vehicle (for broadcast wave reception, mobile communications, positioning, obstruction detection and the like).

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An automobile antenna apparatus comprising: 
       a smart antenna mounted on a window of an automobile, the smart antenna including:  
       a slot antenna having a slot space as a main element, the slot space being surrounded with a first region in which a metal film covers a defogger formed on the window of the automobile and a second region formed of a metal portion of a car body including a window frame of the automobile, and  
       an integrated multiband antenna having a plurality of antenna elements of thin-film conductive pieces which are arranged such that at least some of the antenna elements are inserted into the slot space of the slot antenna; and  
       an antenna unit having a control circuit section provided close to the smart antenna, one end of the control circuit section being connected to the smart antenna, and another end thereof being connected to a transmission/reception set section and a car computer network, which are both provided inside the automobile, through a LAN in the automobile,  
       wherein, in response to an external operation signal and automobile position information detected by a GPS, the control circuit section electronically controls the smart antenna such that the smart antenna fulfills a receiving function of receiving an AM broadcast wave, an FM broadcast wave, a TV broadcast wave, a GPS wave and a BS/CS wave, and a transmifting/receiving function of transmiffing/receiving waves for a car phone and keyless door-lock control and a wave for using an automatic toll collection system. 
     
     
       2. An automobile antenna apparatus according to claim  1 , wherein the antenna unit incorporates tuners separated from receiver main bodies of the reception set section. 
     
     
       3. An automobile antenna apparatus according to claim  1 , wherein the control circuit section of the antenna unit includes a reception circuit capable of receiving at least one of the FM broadcast wave and the TV broadcast wave in a diversity reception mode. 
     
     
       4. An automobile antenna apparatus according to claim  1 , wherein the control circuit section of the antenna unit includes an FM reception circuit for receiving the FM broadcast wave and a TV reception circuit for receiving the TV broadcast wave, and at least one of the FM reception circuit and the TV reception circuit is a reception circuit having a beam steering function. 
     
     
       5. An automobile antenna apparatus according to claim  1 , wherein the control circuit section of the antenna unit includes: 
       means for adding a beam steering function to at least one of an FM reception circuit for receiving the FM broadcast wave and a TV reception circuit for receiving the TV broadcast wave;  
       a DGPS engine, which is constituted by forming a normal GPS receiver and a DGPS data link for receiving differential correction data integrally with each other as one unit, for processing signals and data in accordance with predetermined algorithm to output high-precision positioning data; and  
       means for varying directivity of a beam in a desired direction by both the high-precision positioning data output from the DGPS engine and the beam steering function added by the beam steering function adding means.  
     
     
       6. An automobile antenna apparatus according to claim  5 , comprising: 
       an anti-collision EHF radar mounted at least on a front of the automobile and having a beam scanning function capable of emitting a beam within a predetermined angle range;  
       automobile position detection means for correctly detecting automobile position information by a composite high-precision positioning system of DGPS and dead reckoning navigation; and  
       means for automatically setting a target detection range by the automobile position information detected by the automobile position detection means and the beam scanning function of the anti-collision EHF radar.